21st Birthday: My feelings, thoughts and everything in between

It’s crazy to think this coming week I’ll be celebrating my 21st Birthday. As this post goes live, I’m currently at Centre Parcs with all my family for a celebratory birthday weekend away. I feel like 21 is the real deal. At 16 you’re edging closer to being old, you can start driving at 17, at 18 you can legally drink, and at 21 well, you’re a real adult, right? I’m not really sure how I feel about being 21, but I’m going to ramble on about it anyway…

I feel like 21 is the year I finally wave goodbye to my teen years and start being a real, proper adult. I’ve had my fun at uni, I graduate in 2 months and it’s time to get myself a job, get myself a car, and eventually (and I mean eventually, mum, let me stay a few more years please?) move out for good. I finally feel old. But I feel ready. Uni has set me up well and proper for the real world, I’ve had my fun, and now I just can’t wait to settle down, start earning and start preparing for my future.

Looking back to when I turned 18, probably the next biggest birthday milestone there is, I am a completely different person. I spent my 18th while at Sixth Form. I was with Jamie, and we went away to London for a long weekend. Back then I was a little bit shy, petrified of starting uni, and with no idea of who I wanted to be. Now I feel like I know it all. I know, it’s impossible to know everything, but I feel like I know who I am, I’m still awkward with new people, but I actually have a bit of confidence in myself. I trust myself and I know who I am.

Another thing I’ve noticed change in me in recent years is my happiness. I’ve been fortunate enough to never really struggle with my mental health, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t noticed a big difference. Since starting university I’ve learnt to put myself and my happiness first. I’ve recognised the things that make me tick, and made an active effort to do all I can to look after myself. I’ve appreciated the value of a good headspace and generally been a whole lot happier in myself. This is something I’m so proud of myself for, and I can only hope it continues this way!

So with my 21st year on earth looming, what do I want to achieve? The most obvious one right now is to get a grad job. I’m still frantically searching but I’m being sure to be patient and picky, because I know I want to get the right role for me, even if it means waiting a while or going back a few steps before going forwards. I want to find my feet in a career that I know I’m going to love for years to come.

I also want to get my mitts on my very own car. Since passing my test when I was 17, I’ve been sharing good old Penny the Peugeot 206 with my mum. Despite it practically being my own, I can’t wait to pay for my very own little car and get that little extra independence from it. I know when this happens I really will feel like an adult.

Finally, I hope to start saving. Poor old Jamie has been working since he left high school, so it’s time I started pulling my weight and saving up for hopefully, a house of our own. I absolutely love living in my family home, but equally I can’t wait to have a place of my own with Jamie, so saving is definitely needed this year – I said I was ready to be an adult right?!